What You Can Do with Maestral's Command Line Interface

Maestral's CLI lets you run the common Dropbox tasks — checking sync status, linking accounts, starting sync, viewing and restoring file versions, and creating or revoking shared links — without opening the GUI. It is available on macOS and Linux, and the CLI can configure an unlimited number of Dropbox accounts by giving each one its own config name. One important constraint: as of June 2026 Maestral is no longer actively maintained, so the current version will keep working only until its certificates expire.

Check status and start sync

maestral status prints the account, storage usage, current sync state, and error count. The example from the project's own documentation shows what that output looks like:

$ maestral status
Account: [email protected] (Business)
Usage: 48.3% of 1498.4 TB used
Status: Up to date
Sync errors: 0

maestral start launches the daemon and, if no account is linked yet, walks you through linking one. The documented flow is:

$ maestral start
Starting Maestral...
[OK] - Linking new account for 'maestral' config
- Retrieving auth code from Dropbox
? How would you like to you link your account? Open Dropbox website
? Enter the auth code: 6_AEcL89rUXN6YfreCfdzo
✓ Linked to [email protected]
? Please choose a local Dropbox folder: ~/Dropbox (Work)
? Would you like sync all folders? Yes
✓ Setup completed. Starting sync.

Input: the auth code Dropbox gives you after you approve the app on its website, plus a local folder path. Action: Maestral exchanges the code, writes a config, and begins syncing. Expected result: a linked account and an active sync.

Work with file versions and shared links

The CLI exposes the Dropbox operations you would otherwise do in a browser:

• View and restore previous file versions — useful when a file was overwritten or deleted and you need an earlier revision back.
• Create and revoke shared links — generate a link for a file or folder, and revoke it later, directly from the terminal.
• See a live view of all sync activity — a running view of what Maestral is uploading, downloading, or skipping.

These are the three capabilities the project highlights for its command line interface, so treat them as the core CLI feature set rather than an exhaustive command list.

Manage multiple accounts and exclusions

The CLI allows configuring an unlimited number of Dropbox accounts. The mechanism is a config name: when you link a new account, pass a new config name and Maestral keeps that account's settings separate from the others.

For exclusions, Maestral supports gitignore-style patterns. Place an .mignore file in the Dropbox root, and any patterns in it exclude matching local items from syncing. The GUI and CLI also offer selective sync for excluding individual files at a finer grain. This matters if you want to keep large folders off a small disk without uninstalling anything.

A practical note before you commit

Maestral is not an official Dropbox app, which is why it does not count toward the three-device limit on Basic Dropbox accounts — a real advantage if you have several machines. Weigh that against the maintenance status: since June 2026 the project is no longer actively maintained, and the current version will continue to work until certificates expire. If you need a client that will keep receiving updates, that expiry date is the deadline to plan around; if you only need CLI-driven sync for the near term, the commands above cover the everyday tasks.